Monday, August 20, 2012

Cleaning House

Cleaning House
Well, I've made it pretty far since my last update. I've been keeping fairly busy these days. I've gone on a few day trips - and left my camera at home. (I hate when I do that!) Well, Ivy is due home in about 5 days now. I figured I should give the house a big overhaul before she gets home. Get all of the little fingerprints, goldfish cracker crumbs, hair ties, dolls and such all picked up and clean before she gets home - only to give me those 'lil crumbs and prints all over again. Can't believe I am saying this but.. I miss those little crumbs and her tiny fingerprints on the windows.

So.. I started at the front entryway. I opened the door and swept all of the dirt out. Tidy'd up the rug, took it outdoors and shook it. Watered all of the plants, dusted the frames and washed my barn boots and tucked them back in place.

Sweep the dirt out the front door!

Tidy, Tidy, Tidy!

Next up was the living room. I had to pick up the floor cushions, and the board games. I laid them both on the sofa, and a chair. Our cat, pickles is terrified of the vacuum. You can see him, if you look closely. He's on the mantel hiding from the noise. He managed to get up there via, the TV an then knocked over a vase of dried flowers. Little bugger!

Note: Pickles up on the mantle!

I leaned the vacuum against the wall for now and grabbed a cloth and spray bottle - time to window wash! We need to be able to see the lighthouse from the living room! It's one of my favorite things about where we live. I had lots of little fingertips to wash off, some likely from my nieces Giselle, and Darla as well.

After the living room, I swept the dining room and tossed the table cloth at the base of the stairs to take up with me to toss in the laundry. I needed to mop the kitchen floor. First, I swept up. Had to get under the cupboards edge.. that's where the cracker crumbs like to hide. Lost elastics and little toy pieces.

I turned on the faucet and let the water fill up the bucket and ran back to the living room and turned up the radio I set out on the top of the TV. I needed to hear some tunes while I did all of this cleaning business!

Whistle while you work? Heck no, SING while you work!

While I let the floor dry in the kitchen I ran the table cloth upstairs and tossed it in the laundry along with some dish towels, the top I was wearing and other little things I found downstairs. (I needed a new top(it's hot and sweaty doing all this work!), I had some clean in the laundry room!)

The dreaded task has come. You all dread this. Don't lie.. the litterbox. NO ONE wants to clean this. Nope, not anyone.

Here goes nothing. We have two cats and a little ferret who all use it. I plugged my nose and did the deed, cleaned up all the poo.

Plugging my nose.. here goes nothin'.

Ugh, so much poo!

All done! No more poo, clean litter! WHEW! What a job!

While I had been sitting, gagging and trying to clean the litter box, the laundry had finished and I swapped over the wet things into the dryer and took out the dry to fold. I stood there folding Ivy's little dresses and my big sweatshirts. Thinking.. one day she will grow. I can't imagine her ever fitting into a shirt like mine.. alas one day it will come. She's already been to overnight camp twice this summer. It doesn't seem possible she is this big already. I remember the day she was born. She was so tiny.. the years have really flown by.. I sat there in thought and dream until I was through the laundry.

One last room that really needed cleaning was - Ivy's. I dragged the vacuum upstairs and started with vacuum her pretty rug. Lots of little hairs from her ferret and her kitty, Muffin.

Last but not least.. I put on some clean sheets into her crib for when she returns home.

Nothing feels better than clean sheets!

I was exhausted after this. I still had the craft room, ballet studio and classroom to do. Maybe another day. I still have a few more until she comes home. I was able to get the 'vital' area's of the house done. That in it'self is pretty darn good in my book.

I hope you enjoyed cleaning my house with me .. maybe. At least you didn't have to clean yours, right?